This paper presents results of a year-long project involving K-12 teachers working with student software designers to create "learning objects"--small, computer-based tools (known as "widgets") for concepts identified by the teachers as "difficult to learn." This educational software development project was facilitated by members of Washington State University's Department of Teaching and Learning, and funded by The Arc of Washington Trust Fund. The project is part of the "Wazzu Widgets" (learning object development) project underway at Washington State University. Graduate students of education and instructional design (along with one advanced undergraduate student) were matched with local K-12 teachers to develop instructional software designed to meet the teachers' needs. A specific criterion for participation was that the teachers had at least one student with mild mental retardation in their class during the course of the project. Each of the three teachers chose a concept that they found challenging to explain to their students and worked with the software production team to develop a small, interactive software solution known as a Learning Object. The three learning objects developed for this project were designed to accommodate their students with mild mental retardation. The creation of the learning objects yielded a great deal of information about students' and teachers' perceptions of the processes of instructional design and instructional media development as well as the usefulness and usability of the specific learning objects developed. (Author/AEF)